Glenn Close’s performance in the new drama “The Wife” is one of the first, serious awards contenders of the year. But it’s a long, six-month road ahead between now and the Academy Awards. Close has been nominated six times. She’s never won. In order for her to get a nom, she may have to play the “Career Achievement Card”.
Robert Redford has said that “The Old Man & the Gun”, out Sept. 28, will be his final on-screen performance. Redford won a Best Director Oscar for “Ordinary People” and an honorary award in 2002. But he will likely join Close in a career achievement campaign.
Over the past decade, several actors and actresses have either been Oscar nominees or winners NOT solely based on one specific performance. Rather, it was their standout performance AND the entire body of work from their career. Looking at the four acting recipients from the past 10 years, here are the Career Achievement Winners:
2008-2009: KATE WINSLET
A previous five-time nominee (for films such as “Titanic” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Winslet was finally in winning contention for her performance in “The Reader”. However, it was a tricky awards season. Winslet earned honors at the Critics Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Awards in the Supporting Actress category before moving to the Lead Actress category for the BAFTAs and then the Academy Awards.
2009-2010: JEFF BRIDGES
One of the most iconic and respected actors of all time. Bridges had been Oscar nominated four times (going all the way back to 1971’s “The Last Picture Show”) before sweeping the Best Actor race for the drama “Crazy Heart”. Since then, Bridges has received two more nominations (“True Grit”, “Hell or High Water”).
2010-2011: PICK ANY OF THE FOUR
There wasn’t as distinct of a choice this season, though three of the four acting winners (Colin Firth, Natalie Portman and Melissa Leo) had each been nominated once before and were well known for credible bodies of work. And first-time nominee turned winner Christian Bale had recently come-off of cultural and critical phenomenon “The Dark Knight”.
2011-2012: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (AND MAYBE MERYL, TOO)
The industry was stunned that the man who gave us Captain Von Trapp (among other roles) had yet to receive a golden statue. In fact Plummer had only been nominated once before (two years earlier for “The Last Station”). Plummer’s performance in the indie “Beginners” was admirable, though his overall impressive career was just as much reason of the reward. At 82, he became the oldest person ever to win an acting Oscar. But of course – this is not the end of Plummer’s story. He was nominated this past season in the Supporting Actor category for his excellent (and high-profile) performance in Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World”. At 88, Plummer became the oldest acting nominee in Oscar history.
The Best Actress honor seemed like it was going to go to Viola Davis for “The Help”. But Meryl Streep pulled-out the surprise upset for her work as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady”. Streep earned her third Oscar – and her first since “Sophie’s Choice” 29 years earlier (with 12 nominations in between).
2012-2013: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
For his undeniably extraordinary performance as our 16th President, Day-Lewis became the first actor in a Steven Spielberg-directed movie to win an Oscar. He also became the first person to win three Best Actor Academy Awards. Day-Lewis tried to play the “Career Achievement” card this past season for his “final” performance in “Phantom Thread”. However, there was someone else aiming for the same kind of recognition.
2013-2014: MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
With his performance in “Dallas Buyers Club”, McConaughey (well known for cheesy rom-coms and “Magic Mike”) signaled a shift in his career to more serious roles. This honor was not only for the performance, but to recognize a successful major career move.
2014-2015: JULIANNE MOORE
Sony Pictures Classic’s small drama “Still Alice” made a big impact because of the moving performance from Moore. The Academy recognized it was time to honor this previous four-time nominee.
2015-2016: LEONARDO DICAPRIO
Everyone knew DiCaprio, one of the most celebrated actors of the past 30 years, was eventually going to win an Oscar. It was just a matter of when. What put him over the top? It has to be the Bear Fight in “The Revenant”. With four prior acting nominations and a producer credit on “The Wolf of Wall Street”, DiCaprio finally took home Oscar gold. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, out next year, will mark DiCaprio’s first movie since “The Revenant”.
2016-2017: VIOLA DAVIS
The loss to Streep five years earlier was motivation for Davis to give a powerhouse performance in “Fences”. And it inspired Paramount to position her in the Supporting Actress category, instead of Lead Actress. She swept throughout awards season.
2017-2018: GARY OLDMAN
As much as Day-Lewis would’ve loved a fourth and final Oscar win, there was no stopping Gary Oldman for his work as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour”. He’d only been previously nominated one time – for 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”. But he was consistently on most “Best Actors Who’ve Never Won an Oscar” lists.